Under the Shadow | Official Trailer (Cornwall Film Festival 2016)

Under the Shadows | Babak Anvari | Iran, Jordan, Qatar, UK | Persian | 2016
Buy tickets here: http://newlynfilmhouse.com
SUNDAY 13TH NOVEMBER 2016 | NEWLYN FILMHOUSE

Iranian-born British filmmaker Babak Anvari marks his feature debut with this disquieting psychological horror. Laced with tension and a keen sense of social and feminist commentary, it’s set in 1988 against the backdrop of the Iran-Iraq war and follows Shideh (Narges Rashidi), marked as a subversive for her support of the liberal opposition. When her husband is forced to leave due to the conflict, Shideh is left with her daughter Dorsa (Avin Manshadi) to hide in their otherwise deserted apartment block. As their relationship fractures, the real world and the supernatural collide to chillingly malevolent effect.

Mining the rich vein of terror from kindred (otherworldly) spirits The Babadook and A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night, Anvari shrewdly conjures scares through a realism that incorporates both ominous ambiguity and political allegory. As with the finest horrors, the film’s atmosphere owes much to its superlative sound design; Anvari pays respect to the genre’s established aural cues, yet executes them with a flair that creates a distinctive identity. This is a standout debut that touches on evils both supernatural and real.

‘Under the Shadow’s triumph lies in its ability to critique Iran’s post-revolution sexism while still working as a full-throttle horror’.

‘Under the Shadow serves as an impassioned allegory for female oppression – but Anvari doesn’t shortchange horror fans. He delivers entertainment that’s fun to watch, and subversively incisive for those willing to read between the lines’ - Nigel M Smith, The Guardian

Buy tickets here: http://newlynfilmhouse.com

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